A BRAIN tumour sufferer held a sponsored swim at Yate Leisure Centre on Sunday, to raise both awareness of her condition and cash for research.

As part of Brain Tumour Awareness Month, Kirsty Brain, 41, invited some of her former team mates from the Yate based Southwold Swimming Club to join her swimathon.

“It was an absolutely brilliant morning,” said Kirsty, who has been a been a swimming teacher at Yate Leisure Centre since she was 16.

“We raised hundreds of pounds and the reminiscing with my old team mates was great, it took us all back.

“Twenty-five of us took part - 21 ex-swimmers and four of the next generation - and we managed to swim a total of 545 lengths between us.

“I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who took part, including the many leisure centre customers who either donated or swam some lengths.”

One old team mate, Katie Bailey, who couldn’t get to Yate because of the snow, still managed to join the event remotely, by swimming at her nearest pool in Lincoln at the same time. 

Kirsty was diagnosed with a meningioma, a non-malignant ‘lodger’ about the size of a grape, in April. 

“At the moment I am on watch and wait, and yearly MRI scans, as the tumour is in a ‘good’ location causing only a couple of symptoms,” she said.

Kirsty will be running the London Marathon on April 22 also in aid of the Brain Tumour Charity.

To donate for either event visit: justgiving.com/fundraising/Kirsty-brain1